Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine facts for kids

Chinese restaurant in Cataño, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine is a popular style of food exclusive to restaurants in Puerto Rico developed by its Chinese immigrants. The food is a variation of Cantonese cuisine with some elements of Puerto Rican cuisine. A typical dish consists of fried rice, a choice of meat, and French fries. The fried rice itself varies in every restaurant, but can contain many ingredients such as ham, beef, shrimp, egg, lettuce, and onions. In 2020, there were an estimated 450 Chinese restaurants in Puerto Rico and the owners suffered discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico.

Dishes

Pollo al ajillo

Popular dishes in many Puerto Rican Chinese restaurants are:

• Pollo al Ajillo — Chicken and onion slices in garlic and oil.
• Camarones al Ajillo — Shrimp in garlic and oil.
• Carne Ahumada — Pieces of pork drenched in sweet red sauce. It is known in American Chinese cuisine as Boneless Pork Ribs.
• Pepper steak — Slices of beef and green pepper in soy sauce-based brown sauce.
• Pepper chicken — Same as pepper steak but with chicken.
• Broccoli chicken — Chicken and broccoli in soy sauce-based brown sauce.
• Sweet and sour chicken
• Fried chicken — Deep-fried breaded chicken that is very popular and inexpensive.
• Chow mein
• Chop suey
• Mamposteao — Day old rice fried with diced bell peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, red beans, sweet plantains, soy sauce, bean sprouts, squash and a variety of other vegetables can be added. The dish can be vegan or with bacon, ham, eggs, longaniza, chicken, or shrimp.
• Egg rolls
• Tostones

Images for kids

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  Puerto Rican fried rice